Traditionally, sewer connectors have used cement or epoxy resin for sealing a lateral pipe to a main sewer line. However, installation of these connectors requires a great deal of time and effort, particularly because a person installing the connector must wait for the cement or resin to set and dry. In addition, the connectors are rigid and tend to crack during the settling or shifting of earth surrounding the lateral pipe.
To overcome these drawbacks, sewer connectors have been developed that do not use cement or resin for sealing a lateral pipe to a main sewer line. These connectors include an elastic cylinder or sleeve that is inserted into a hole in the main sewer line, a rigid pipe or wedge that is inserted into the cylinder to force the entire cylinder to expand and thus form a seal with the main sewer line, and the lateral pipe that is inserted into the cylinder. The connectors deform rather than crack during the settling or shifting of earth surrounding the lateral pipe. However, in these connectors, the pipe is inserted into the cylinder such that the entire cylinder is forced to expand in order to form a seal with the main sewer line. Both the lateral pipe and the connector are vulnerable to shear forces resulting from the settling or shifting of earth surrounding the lateral pipe. Consequently, the lateral pipe is subject to displacement, and the connector can be easily deformed beyond its limits, thus resulting in damage, failure, and/or leakage of the connector. In addition, the connectors protrude into the main sewer line, and thus, make it difficult to clean the main sewer line. Furthermore, the connectors do not provide any indication of the correct alignment between the cylinder and the pipe. Therefore, it is difficult to align the cylinder with the pipe during installation of the connectors. It is also not possible to check the alignment of the connectors from remote locations inside the main sewer line.